A Charles II beadwork basket (c. 1660) led Roseberys Fine & Decorative auction (Tuesday 11 March), realising a price of £21,648 against an estimate of £3,000-£5,000. Following fierce bidding online and on the telephones, it sold to a UK private buyer. This example was exhibited at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, and came from the collection of Sir Frederick Henry Richmond (1873-1953), former Chairman of Debenhams and Harvey Nicholls. 

Lot 144: A Charles II beadwork basket, c.1660, worked in coloured beads mounted on wood boards - Price Realised: £21,648

The basket, worked in coloured beads on wood boards, depicts a couple flanking a country manor house amongst a proliferation of charming animals and floral motifs. Their function is much debated, but they are sometimesdescribed as layette baskets, used to hold children’s clothes during christening ceremonies, but could have been betrothal gifts or for holding gloves or sprigs of rosemary at weddings or festivities. They may have simply been used as table centerpieces in affluent family homes. The naive character of the imagery may be attributed to the fact that the baskets were often made by young women, as beadwork was a popular pastime for wealthy ladies of the period. 

The mid-seventeenth century saw British merchants import large quantities of glass beads from Venice and Amsterdam, ushering in a golden age of British secular embroidery. The Stuart Court favoured embroidered wares for decorative and ceremonial purposes. The lion and the unicorn depicted are almost certainly a reference to the Stuart Restoration of 1660, and probably a message of support for the Royalist cause. 

 

“It is immensely rare to find examples of these beadwork baskets in museums, let alone at auction. It’s such a wonderful window into life during the Restoration period, speaking to the political and social context in which the basket was formed. It was remarkable to handle such a beautiful, historic object in exceptional condition,” commented Jack Wallis, Head of Sale & Specialist: Fine & Decorative at Roseberys. 

Lot 199: A modern Louis Vuitton monogrammed canvas wardrobe trunk, c.1990s, with two leather handles
Price Realised: £10,496

Further highlights from the sale included a pristine Louis Vuitton monogrammed canvas wardrobe trunk (c.1990s) that sold for £10,496, as well as a Meissen Louis XV ormolu and French porcelain mantel clock, that sold for £9,840.

  

 

Lot 271: A Regency brass marquetry, rosewood and giltwood games table, in the manner of Morel and Seddon
Price Realised: £9,840 

Fine furniture was led by a beautiful Regency rosewood and giltwood games table in the manner of Morel and Seddon that sold for £9,840, and an Irish Killarney marquetry tilt-top table that sold for £7,610. The auction was completed by a strong wine section, which achieved a 98% sell-through rate of 122 lots. The star lot was six bottles of 1982 Château Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux, which realised a price of £4,723. 

 

Lot 514: 1982 Château Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac, Bordeaux, 6 x 75cl (6)
Price Realised: £4,723